'They're the wealthiest, most privileged people in the world': Why Golden Globes host Ricky Gervais won't be biting his tongue about Hollywood's A-list

He will host the Golden Globes once again despite severe
trepidation from the wealth of A-list celebrities who will undoubtedly come
under attack.

And Ricky Gervais has pledged that no-one in Hollywood will
be safe from his vicious tongue at the awards ceremony on Sunday.

The 50-year-old star, who left celebrities stunned with his
string of jokes at the ceremony last year, insisted: ‘They’re the wealthiest,
most privileged people in the world. Offense is taken, not given.’

Defensive: Ricky Gervais is coming back to host the Golden Globes in order to make a statement

Amid reports that broadcaster NBC is preparing to impose a
seven-second time delay on Gervais – in a bid to cut out anything too offensive
- he added: ‘Imagine if I had gone out there and said, ‘We’re all in the same
gang. Aren’t we brilliant? Us millionaires together’ . . . I’m not a wolf in
sheep’s clothing. I’m a wolf in wolf’s clothing.’

‘There was a Roman emperor who hired someone to whisper,
‘You’re just a man,’ in his ear as he walked around the crowds. Just to remind
him, because he knew if everyone tells you, you’re a god, then you are. And so
he hired someone to say, ‘You’re just a man’.’

The comic defended his decision further when he attended a panel to promote his new TV series Life's Too short, telling press: 'If you get final edit, which I do and I demand... nothing else matters. You're bulletproof.

Just good fun: Gervais explained that he means no harm by his controversial jokes

New show: Gervais (pictured with co-star Warwick Davis) spoke out at a panel to promote his upcoming TV show Life's Too Short

'I'm not one of those people who think comedy is
your conscience taking the day off. My conscience never takes the day
off. I know what I'm going to say. ... I can justify it, I stand by it,
as I do every joke I did last year, and I don't care. I don't care what
people think.'

He
also explained his reasoning behind returning to host the event for a
third time amid controversy over his previous performances, saying: 'I did it the first time because I thought,
that's fun. It's fun for a comedian to have a global audience like that.
And I set it on the proviso that I do all my own material. And they kept to that.

'And I did it the second time because I
thought I could improve on the first and I think I did that. And I
wasn't going to do it a third time, but then I kept reading reports,
press saying, "He'll never be invited back." So I did it to annoy them.'

They deserve it!: The comic believes the A-list deserve to be scrutinised

The star went on to say that his jokes were merely fun and games and he did not intend to tread on anyone's toes, insisting: 'I've got nothing against any of those people
in the room. I've worked with many of them. I like many of them. I
admire most of them.

'It's like, they're just gags. I'm not trying to
hurt anyone's feelings or give them a bad night or undermine the moral
fabric of America,' before adding, 'I'd rather they laugh than gasp. But I cherish the gasps along with the laughs.'

In a five-minute opening monologue last year, Gervais took
aim at troubled actor Charlie Sheen, saying: ‘It’s going to be a night of
partying and heavy drinking, or as Charlie Sheen calls it, breakfast’. and the
Sex and the City 2 movie, smirking: ‘I was sure the Golden Globe for special
effects would go to the team that airbrushed that poster.’

Vicious: Ricky Gervais will not hold back the insults when he hosts Sunday's Golden Globes

Later, he described the film, I Love You Phillip Morris, as
being about ‘two heterosexual actors pretending to be gay — so the complete
opposite of some famous Scientologists, then.’

He closed the show by declaring ‘Thank you to God for making
me an atheist.’

His performance prompted a backlash from actors including
Robert Downey Jr, who said: ‘Aside from the fact that it’s been hugely
meanspirited with mildly sinister undertones, I’d say the vibe of the show’s
pretty good so far.’

However, Gervais insisted he has no regrets about lashing
out at Hollywood stars, saying: ‘I stand by everything. You shouldn’t apologise
for anything you meant to do. You can apologise for things you do when you’re
15, but not when you’re 50. People confuse the subject of the joke with the
target of the joke, and they’re very rarely the same.

Seven seconds grace: Producers are instilling a time delay for the televised awards ceremony

‘Let’s get this in perspective: I think Hollywood’s got
more reactionary and conservative over the years, because there’s no longer art
in Hollywood.

When asked what the audience could expect, the
multi-millionaire told Esquire magazine: ‘They can expect the same. But with
different - I nearly said targets - with different subjects of the jokes.

‘It’s different films, it’s different stars, but the tone’s
going to be the same.’

It will be the third time that Gervais will host the Globes
in Los Angeles, but he insisted he would never host the Oscars, admitting: ‘I
just don’t think they’d ever trust me. Nor should they. If I was them, I’d say,
‘Well, don’t hire Gervais. You’re asking for it.’

Funnyman: It will be Ricky's third time hosting the awards bash’

And tweeting earlier this week, the comedian wrote: ‘I keep
having to write new jokes as I pick my victims, I mean targets I mean
presenters to introduce.

‘No one knows what I’m going to say until I say it. That was
my only stipulation to host again.”

‘I’ll be tweeting from backstage at The Globes so you don’t
miss me when I’m not on air. Might even be more fun as I have no TV
censorship.’

Shape up: Ricky was spotted walking with his girlfriend Jane Fallon in Beverly Hills this week